The present invention relates generally to stationery products, and, more specifically, to die cut sheets.
Stationery products are typically manufactured in large quantities from a large roll of suitable material defining a web. The web is transported along a running axis for producing therein individual sheets for the desired product. The different types of sheets are innumerable and vary in material composition, configuration, and size as desired for a particular application.
Typical sheets are rectangular and may include continuous diecuts, lines of perforations, micro-perforations, fold lines, and printing thereon as desired. The sheets may be single ply without a liner, or may be double ply with a liner. The liner is typically a silicone release liner which protects pressure sensitive adhesive on the back side of the face ply. The face ply is typically diecut to form individual pressure sensitive labels which are ubiquitous in the stationery industry.
Single ply sheets include the ubiquitous printing paper manufactured in various sizes for various uses. Printing paper may have various configurations for specialty applications for various commercial or consumer applications.
In one commercial application a single sheet includes diecuts extending therethrough, and therefore a stack of such diecut sheets includes identical diecuts aligned together throughout the entire stack. Since the diecuts extend through the individual sheets they necessarily provide a continuous cut through the stack of sheets. Since the diecut line is a local interruption in the otherwise smooth and continuous surface of the sheet, the stacked diecuts may snag or lock together leading to difficulties in sheet feeding.
For example, a stack of sheets is typically loaded into the storage tray of a printer, and the printer includes a pick up mechanism, such as friction rollers, which remove individual sheets from the stack in turn. If the diecut in one sheet snags the diecut in the next sheet during the feeding process in the printer, the feeding mechanism may not be able to separate one sheet interlocked with the next sheet by the aligned diecuts, or may separate the sheets but may cause undesirable skewing of the initially snagged sheet being fed.
The misfeeding of sheets in printers or copiers is a common problem known to all, and typically occurs due to friction between the stacked sheets rendered worse under high humidity conditions. Sheet feeding mechanisms are available in various configurations and complexity for feeding individual sheets and avoiding multiple sheet feeding in the printer or copier. Although successive sheets may be separated during the feeding process, excess friction therebetween may nevertheless cause undesirable misfeeding or skewing of the sheets through the printing feed path.
Sheets having diecuts extending completely therethrough increase the possibility of undesirable interlocking between the sheets formed in a stack or vertical lamination thereof. The possible interlocking effects of the diecuts depends on the configuration, size, and location thereof in the individual sheets which may cause interlocking or snagging during the feeding process in a printer.
In one exemplary configuration, a hotel folio comprises a single ply rectangular sheet of heavy paper containing therein a diecut band through which a magnetic room key card may be inserted and retained in a cooperating tab formed by a semicircular diecut. The folios are provided to the hotel in a stack thereof which typically includes preprinted information thereon regarding the hotel and its services, and may also be post-printed at the time of reception for adding additional information thereto.
Since the card key receptacle is defined by multiple diecuts, the multiple diecuts increase the possibility of interlocking of the sheets in the printer, which in turn increases the possibility of misfeeding or skewing of the sheets during the check-in procedure. Such misfeed of folio sheets is undesirable because it delays the check-in process and is inconvenient.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide an improved stack of sheets reducing or eliminating the possibility of interlocking of the diecuts therein.